I sincerely hope the trip to England becomes a reality for you in 2026. Further, I hope you’re able to take advantage of every luxury you desire to make your total experience the best in all the ways that are important to you.
Geez, the word, “budget”, and any references to such is hereby banned on HD, by order of The Mighty Quinn (song). Just kidding but man, pour out double of your favorite (not suggesting it has to have alcohol in it) and relax. What a person should know is where their money is flowing to and in what volume. Categorize it any way and to the level of detail that makes sense to you. Or do nothing. It’s your money and your call. Tracking expenditures, while a very monotonous process, was the beginning of exiting credit card balances forever at a young enough age (thank you God, for a swift kick in the rear end) and building a good enough pile over the decades to retire at 59. Young, naive and a rising income can be a bad combo without guidance and learning. Good news, bad news - I don’t drink, but I’ll have another cup of coffee.
Best To All.
I would say that, in general, parcel delivery from most couriers has been especially abysmal for the past six months, especially in terms of on-time and damage-free. Regrettably, the USPS is the best of the worst. Recent changes in our household have prompted more online ordering of goods nationwide including the west coast, from respectable companies I’ve worked with over several years. Anything delivered by USPS generally takes at least twice as long as quoted when the order is confirmed. A recent parcel took 18 days from CA to MI, mostly because the tracking showed it got caught in a nearly endless loop between Indy and Grand Rapids, MI. Ignoring volume, the Wells Fargo Wagon allegedly, on average, completed deliveries between 10 and 21 days, depending on a variety of factors, including weather. The Pony Express, 10 days, on average. Much like stocks, it appears we are reverting to the mean. And while it can vary greatly by area, here, FedWrex takes the cake for seemingly trying their best to destroy packages or just dumping boxes in the middle of my driveway versus the front porch and made no bones about it when asked directly to please move the packages there. I do find it somewhat amusing that, regardless of carrier, including Amazon, that when there is damage to the package, somehow a picture of the delivered parcel isn’t shared by email (as they ALWAYS do as a requirement) or the damaged section is placed away from the camera shot, etc. My all time favorite was when the postal delivery person would jam a package into my mailbox by the street which would literally require cutting the package apart to remove it. After the fourth time, we had a friendly chat and he told me that the company should make their boxes smaller, and then drove off on a huff (and I didn’t get my mail that day either…hmmmm?). Too lazy to get out of the truck. And to be fair, companies shipping products using inferior packaging (especially re-re-recycled cardboard) need to get it together as well.
Then there are the, “untold because they are unknown” stories, of who knows how many times our butts were spared, perhaps by mere seconds, but never realized it. Kind of goes along with the theme of the song, “Thank God For Unanswered Prayers”.
Unfortunately, this is right on par with the articles that start coming out during tax season, usually with the headline of something like, “People are reporting smaller refunds this year.” Looking at the wrong end of the horse! Bottom line on car dealerships is that you need to know the TOTAL cost of buying a given vehicle, regardless of how you plan to pay for it. You must be willing to walk out the door when the BS starts flying (usually in the finance managers office) and be willing to shop around. When I am shopping for a vehicle, I am astounded by the number of customers that don’t even try to negotiate on the price they are given and just proceed with the purchase. For me, at that point, let the games begin! Never go into a closed door meeting with anyone at the dealership. And just because they show you a number on a computer screen to, “prove to you that they are only charging you for whatever option at their cost”, it doesn’t mean anything. With their family just returning from an assignment in Okinawa, I recently assisted my daughter and son-in-law with two vehicle purchases in Norfolk. This was the first time I had ever had the FM at the dealership tell me that they record (video and audio) the conversation. It’s posted on the wall as well. After we went through the seemingly endless sales pitch on options my daughter told them they didn’t want, we told the manager we needed time to talk about their offer, which of course was their, “rock bottom pricing.” As we talked, I noted that the FM went across the hall to sit in the GM’s office (all glass office fronts). It dawned on me that they could be listening in to our “private” chat so we candidly scripted our conversation on the fly which ended with my son in law stating they could probably do better elsewhere. To the surprise of the FM, we simply got up and walked out stating that my daughter wasn’t feeling well and we had to leave. It was like a Festivus miracle (Seinfeld) when the GM called the next day with an offer of an “employee pricing special”, saving the kids a couple grand and a few goodies tossed in. And yes, we went thru the purchase agreement in fine detail. Stand your ground!
Aside from a few times that I can recall since “retiring” at 59 (now, approaching 66) I either find things to do or they seem to find me. Sometimes it’s just simply fantastic to have nothing on the agenda for the day. I truly love having no set agendas (especially meetings). When people ask what I do, my straight up answer is, “Generally, whatever I want to do.” Many cannot seem to appreciate that choice. My typical work week for roughly the last 40 years of my career was at least 60 hours (plus drive time, which I also do not miss in the least.) More typically, they were closer to 80 hours and six to seven days a week and few chances for real vacation time. Running a two or three shift operations entity has its own thrills. To this day, I have no idea how I pulled that off, had a 45 minute ride each way and still did the typical guy chores on the house and property of an acre or two, depending (we’ve moved/relocated 9 or 10 times - I’ve lost track.) What I gave up while trying to sock away as much as possible, was family time (or, I should say, more of) which can’t be replaced. My career positions later in life afforded the chance to bring my wife and sometimes the whole family to a temporary work location in another state or country on the company dime which was a nice perk or reward at the completion of or in the middle of a longer term stay. So, there were trade offs. Bath, the English countryside and London were terrific. Indeed, my wife pulled the real load, running the household and raising four children. The other temporary or delayed loss was, “me time”, which is why I cherish it now. I am an introvert by nature but I have really enjoyed reading and learning about a wide array of topics and “retirement” has given me the time to do such. As others mention here, our retirement plan went off the rails shortly after starting with severe family health issues and mucho unplanned spending of significant magnitude (and bad timing) to go with it. Good news is that everyone is still present although health challenges remain at the forefront. In fact, they are “so”present, two of our kids them have moved back in with us while they sort things out. That wasn’t in the plan either. But now, we get to spend a different kind of quality time together, which has been interesting, for sure. Bottom line, a long time ago on this site, I learned that the financial challenges that came out of the proverbial left field should be considered in light of the fact that we were able to deal with them without a catastrophic result, at least financially. Still standin’, as they say. However, after 3.5 or so hours of relocating about 10” of wet snow today, you can be assured I’m sittin’ for awhile. See? There is plenty to do! Thank goodness for Motrin. I am quite certain that I also get a lot of help from upstairs in my investing endeavors which has been quite nice while it’s lasted. Time to row toward less risky harbors. Best to all,
Greg
Comments
I sincerely hope the trip to England becomes a reality for you in 2026. Further, I hope you’re able to take advantage of every luxury you desire to make your total experience the best in all the ways that are important to you.
Post: At what age did travel start feeling like work—and what changed your plan?
Link to comment from January 3, 2026
Geez, the word, “budget”, and any references to such is hereby banned on HD, by order of The Mighty Quinn (song). Just kidding but man, pour out double of your favorite (not suggesting it has to have alcohol in it) and relax. What a person should know is where their money is flowing to and in what volume. Categorize it any way and to the level of detail that makes sense to you. Or do nothing. It’s your money and your call. Tracking expenditures, while a very monotonous process, was the beginning of exiting credit card balances forever at a young enough age (thank you God, for a swift kick in the rear end) and building a good enough pile over the decades to retire at 59. Young, naive and a rising income can be a bad combo without guidance and learning. Good news, bad news - I don’t drink, but I’ll have another cup of coffee. Best To All.
Post: Can a budget do all that?
Link to comment from January 3, 2026
I would say that, in general, parcel delivery from most couriers has been especially abysmal for the past six months, especially in terms of on-time and damage-free. Regrettably, the USPS is the best of the worst. Recent changes in our household have prompted more online ordering of goods nationwide including the west coast, from respectable companies I’ve worked with over several years. Anything delivered by USPS generally takes at least twice as long as quoted when the order is confirmed. A recent parcel took 18 days from CA to MI, mostly because the tracking showed it got caught in a nearly endless loop between Indy and Grand Rapids, MI. Ignoring volume, the Wells Fargo Wagon allegedly, on average, completed deliveries between 10 and 21 days, depending on a variety of factors, including weather. The Pony Express, 10 days, on average. Much like stocks, it appears we are reverting to the mean. And while it can vary greatly by area, here, FedWrex takes the cake for seemingly trying their best to destroy packages or just dumping boxes in the middle of my driveway versus the front porch and made no bones about it when asked directly to please move the packages there. I do find it somewhat amusing that, regardless of carrier, including Amazon, that when there is damage to the package, somehow a picture of the delivered parcel isn’t shared by email (as they ALWAYS do as a requirement) or the damaged section is placed away from the camera shot, etc. My all time favorite was when the postal delivery person would jam a package into my mailbox by the street which would literally require cutting the package apart to remove it. After the fourth time, we had a friendly chat and he told me that the company should make their boxes smaller, and then drove off on a huff (and I didn’t get my mail that day either…hmmmm?). Too lazy to get out of the truck. And to be fair, companies shipping products using inferior packaging (especially re-re-recycled cardboard) need to get it together as well.
Post: The future of mail and how it affects finances
Link to comment from January 3, 2026
Then there are the, “untold because they are unknown” stories, of who knows how many times our butts were spared, perhaps by mere seconds, but never realized it. Kind of goes along with the theme of the song, “Thank God For Unanswered Prayers”.
Post: Money Moments
Link to comment from December 27, 2025
Amen.
Post: The Life That Was Waiting
Link to comment from December 27, 2025
Or perhaps limit the mileage per day to some reasonable limit. Anything in excess is $5/mile. $500 deposit required upfront.
Post: In defense of car dealerships
Link to comment from December 24, 2025
Unfortunately, this is right on par with the articles that start coming out during tax season, usually with the headline of something like, “People are reporting smaller refunds this year.” Looking at the wrong end of the horse! Bottom line on car dealerships is that you need to know the TOTAL cost of buying a given vehicle, regardless of how you plan to pay for it. You must be willing to walk out the door when the BS starts flying (usually in the finance managers office) and be willing to shop around. When I am shopping for a vehicle, I am astounded by the number of customers that don’t even try to negotiate on the price they are given and just proceed with the purchase. For me, at that point, let the games begin! Never go into a closed door meeting with anyone at the dealership. And just because they show you a number on a computer screen to, “prove to you that they are only charging you for whatever option at their cost”, it doesn’t mean anything. With their family just returning from an assignment in Okinawa, I recently assisted my daughter and son-in-law with two vehicle purchases in Norfolk. This was the first time I had ever had the FM at the dealership tell me that they record (video and audio) the conversation. It’s posted on the wall as well. After we went through the seemingly endless sales pitch on options my daughter told them they didn’t want, we told the manager we needed time to talk about their offer, which of course was their, “rock bottom pricing.” As we talked, I noted that the FM went across the hall to sit in the GM’s office (all glass office fronts). It dawned on me that they could be listening in to our “private” chat so we candidly scripted our conversation on the fly which ended with my son in law stating they could probably do better elsewhere. To the surprise of the FM, we simply got up and walked out stating that my daughter wasn’t feeling well and we had to leave. It was like a Festivus miracle (Seinfeld) when the GM called the next day with an offer of an “employee pricing special”, saving the kids a couple grand and a few goodies tossed in. And yes, we went thru the purchase agreement in fine detail. Stand your ground!
Post: The Monthly Payment Trap: How Car Dealerships Hide the Real Cost
Link to comment from December 15, 2025
Spot on.
Post: The Monthly Payment Trap: How Car Dealerships Hide the Real Cost
Link to comment from December 15, 2025
Aside from a few times that I can recall since “retiring” at 59 (now, approaching 66) I either find things to do or they seem to find me. Sometimes it’s just simply fantastic to have nothing on the agenda for the day. I truly love having no set agendas (especially meetings). When people ask what I do, my straight up answer is, “Generally, whatever I want to do.” Many cannot seem to appreciate that choice. My typical work week for roughly the last 40 years of my career was at least 60 hours (plus drive time, which I also do not miss in the least.) More typically, they were closer to 80 hours and six to seven days a week and few chances for real vacation time. Running a two or three shift operations entity has its own thrills. To this day, I have no idea how I pulled that off, had a 45 minute ride each way and still did the typical guy chores on the house and property of an acre or two, depending (we’ve moved/relocated 9 or 10 times - I’ve lost track.) What I gave up while trying to sock away as much as possible, was family time (or, I should say, more of) which can’t be replaced. My career positions later in life afforded the chance to bring my wife and sometimes the whole family to a temporary work location in another state or country on the company dime which was a nice perk or reward at the completion of or in the middle of a longer term stay. So, there were trade offs. Bath, the English countryside and London were terrific. Indeed, my wife pulled the real load, running the household and raising four children. The other temporary or delayed loss was, “me time”, which is why I cherish it now. I am an introvert by nature but I have really enjoyed reading and learning about a wide array of topics and “retirement” has given me the time to do such. As others mention here, our retirement plan went off the rails shortly after starting with severe family health issues and mucho unplanned spending of significant magnitude (and bad timing) to go with it. Good news is that everyone is still present although health challenges remain at the forefront. In fact, they are “so”present, two of our kids them have moved back in with us while they sort things out. That wasn’t in the plan either. But now, we get to spend a different kind of quality time together, which has been interesting, for sure. Bottom line, a long time ago on this site, I learned that the financial challenges that came out of the proverbial left field should be considered in light of the fact that we were able to deal with them without a catastrophic result, at least financially. Still standin’, as they say. However, after 3.5 or so hours of relocating about 10” of wet snow today, you can be assured I’m sittin’ for awhile. See? There is plenty to do! Thank goodness for Motrin. I am quite certain that I also get a lot of help from upstairs in my investing endeavors which has been quite nice while it’s lasted. Time to row toward less risky harbors. Best to all, Greg
Post: Happy Hour, or The Panic Button? Why Early Retirement Anxiety Is Real.
Link to comment from November 30, 2025
Sounds like you’re a “rich man”, in more ways than $. Bravo!
Post: Fantasy Retirement Billable Hours
Link to comment from November 24, 2025